2013 Red Bull Illume: The Winning Photos

The wait is finally over. The 2013 Red Bull Illume Overall Winner, Top 10 category winners and Top 50 finalists were unveiled at a spectacular ceremony held in Hong Kong on August 29th. German photographer Lorenz Holder was crowned Overall Winner for his remarkable shot of a snowboarder riding a giant satellite dish. As Overall Winner, Holder received a Leica S camera, a broncolor Move Outdoor kit and Sun-Sniper gear — a prize worth over $40,000 in total. He also won the Experimental category.

“The quality of the images in the Top 50 was amazing, so for me it is a great honor to be voted number one. It’s so unreal. It will take a few days for the news to sink in,” said Lorenz Holder, Red Bull illume Overall Winner 2013.

“There are talented photographers and then there are gifted photographers,” said Jym Wilson, Senior Photo Editor at USA Today and one of the 50 Red Bull Illume judges. “I saw a lot of talent but also saw some truly gifted photographers. These are not just action photographers but people with great technical and artistic skills.”

The Winner Award Ceremony was a true celebration of action and adventure sports photography with hundreds of leading photographers and editors attending. Highlights from the evening included performances by BMX flatland athletes Viki Gomez and Matthias Dandois and an illuminated dragon dance.

Afterwards the 50 images were unveiled on 6ft x 6ft life-size lightboxes along Hong Kong’s famous Avenue of Stars, where they will remain for the next three weeks as a free public exhibition. Appropriately as a city known for its awesome nocturnal lights, the illuminated exhibition will open at night time only, from 8-11pm from August 30th to September 15th. Red Bull Illume will then go to the U.S. before traveling around the world’s capitals and cultural hubs for the next two years as a unique night-time exhibition.

About our Partners:
Leica is the official partner of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest for the second time, following on from the successful 2010 edition. New partners for 2013 are leading flash brand broncolor, and Sun-Sniper, who make innovative camera strap systems.

About Red Bull Illume:
Red Bull Illume is the world’s premier international photography competition dedicated to action and adventure sports. Its purpose is to showcase the most exciting and creative action sports photography on the planet as art to the wider public. The 2013 Red Bull Illume Image Quest is the third edition of the competition after 2007 and 2010. A total of 28,257 shots were submitted by 6,417 photographers from 124 countries. The top 50 images will tour the world as a unique illuminated night-time exhibition.